Middlemarch, again.

After a less than auspicious start to January 1--dry toast, water, and a nap--the new year finally got going around 15:00 with a gin and tonic and the ubiquitous shrimp ring. Ah, the perennial appeal of soggy shrimp and having to wrestle the meat out from its tail. Commitments were made to cut down not only on shrimp, but pastry and potatoes.  Wine is not on the cut list.  Hauled out a copy of Bridget Jones' Diary and relived Xmas all over. The Full Monty breakfast will have to wait.

January 2 was overcast and we braced for the Tuesday reality check.  This time it was the ubiquitous pan of French toast.  Portion sizes discussed again.  I read Thuet--foie gras, truffles, and sea urchin.  Hauled out a copy of Belly of an Architect--a man obsessed with his digestive tract. Look what happened to him.

Like New Year, the workweek started on a low note--rain, thick fog, grunts of good morning.  There should be a code of conduct for first day--nay, week--back.  Civility in all its forms. I don't expect a "happy new year" but let's start with good morning. It would help if we all drank coffee.  Day two of The Purge.  Where is my copy of Apartment Therapy?

Kippered salmon is a fine way to start a Wednesday.  Enjoying the fact that everywhere but Hamilton was experiencing (-28C). Vancouver chastised for having another kind of meltdown.  Near riots in the street because Winter arrived unannounced.  Excitement in the office space as the radiators were left on overnight and the building was warm for a change.

A relapse was inevitable what with early starts and a bloody freezing Wednesday night. Frustrated that we haven't seen a shift from 7:52 to 7:51 sunrise.  The sun appeared in brief and then darkness descended.  Chicken soup, day four.  Mood further lowered by finding Trump splashed across the centre pages of the Globe and Mail, again.

Sun by week's end--portending a good weekend--and more cold temps.  For the first time in five weeks, there was nothing but housekeeping to do.  Shopped for a winter dress and found exactly what I wanted.  However, it was Ivanka and had to leave it on the rack on principle. Other shoppers pointed to the Ivanka wares in jest; nobody was buying. Hauled out a copy of When Harry Met Sally which I hadn't seen in at least ten years. Was in Grade 12 when this was last in theatres. Much ado about Ms. Fisher.

Sunny today and a motivator to exercise and tackle the housekeeping.  However there is no shame in taking a leisurely Sunday. My Catholic neighbours chastise me for performing any labour on his day. There is no tree to take down this year.  Last year's tree wasn't taken down until mid-March. I'm okay with this.  We shall borrow, once again, from the Orthodox and officially celebrate the New Year with them.  It's not New Year's without a Full Monty.

At time of writing, CBC Sunday was in New Year mode:  mindfulness, no information snacks, and book clubs via the telephone. Positivity in an age of Trump. Middlemarch came up.  Like most of us, I was introduced to Middlemarch via PBS.  Reading the novel was a whole other story. What a labour! And why do we feel we have to read the classics? What of all the other books on the shelves? I agree with the head of libraries for Thunder Bay, John Pateman--let the public decide what stays on the shelves.  Although the snob in me says we should aim higher than Dan Brown. I've read Rebecca Mead's take on Middlemarch and feel it's time to revisit Eliot.  With David MacFarlane always in mind--do one thing at a time(did he ever stick to his plan?)this daunting task may yet be achieved. There are only so many to-be-read-piles one can have laying about the house. Purge the shelves of unread books! Just don't call it a resolution or else it probably won't get done.

Adieu, February.

Adieu, February. In no particular order.

 

 

Taking this and all future birthdays as a vacation day—this is the best decision, so far
 

Indulging in an enormous Cake & Loaf hazelnut éclair and having no guilt about it

A stranger speaks in an urban coffee-shop

Family Day spent with family

The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine at Soulpepper Theatre

Embracing winter tomatoes

A gift of Dillon’s gin

Revisiting Bleu—the French windows

Amateur mixologists

Sighting of one neighbour-the rest remain in hibernation

A Winter’s Tale at Coal Mine Theatre~conversing with strangers in a cramped lobby

The stamina to sit through a trial and listen to how your husband was probably shot at close range; his bone fragments vacuumed up out of the incinerator for you

15-degree temperatures

Karl Nordstrom

News of AbFab reaches us

Salvaged meatballs at the bottom of the soup pot—an enormous coup

Bulbous whales

Susan Coyne’s Kingfisher Days

Aberdeen Tavern luncheon

Tequila in the afternoon

Barns in winter light

Oysters

Cemeteries in winter light

…rotting plush of the rose bush...  BP Kelly

Harald Sohlberg

Worn granite

Festoon

“Are you recording this conversation?”

Brock’s blanket

Plant therapy

Cuttlefish

Red

Mr. Turner--what of the house-keeper?

Michael Winter’s Minister Without Porfolio~rooting for a fictional orange horse—willing it to bust out of that horse trailer

 

Spiced-chocolate pots & fresh cream

Crack of good chocolate

Molly Johnson with Mr. Botos at the piano

Spicy yellow-beet soup

Tank glassworks

Re-Reading bookstore

The farce that is the Primaries

 

 

Showing January The Door.

Lots of moaning and groaning from the masses about how crap January was.   Here are some positive notes.

New Year’s Full Monty breakfast with family

The moment when you nearly spend $445 on a night of Wagner

Crisp, clear, star-filled evenings

Planning theatre season

When the past comes to find you

Potted-trout

Gift of vanilla, from away

Books that make you laugh and cry and frighten you all in one chapter

Vampires with a conscience

Someone offered up their space in the grocery line

Brown-butter cod

Tending new plants

The Thomson snuff bottles

Alisa Siegel docs

The minutiae of other people’s lives

Tabatha Southey columns

No significant snowfall, month #3

Duck sausage

Catharsis in the dental chair II

Mint-condition used books

Cauliflower frenzy

That people flock to an art gallery to look at Turner paintings

Warm chocolate-chip cookies at the Young Centre

People-watching

European church bells playing Bowie

Frostwork

Scotch pies

Frederick and cookbooks

Palin Humour

Treated to lunch

The Galloway Giggle

Kathy Bates, who never disappoints

Harwood wine with pasta-the memory of Prince Edward County in a bottle

Fiery-pink morning skies

The legacy of actors and musicians

Toronto commute in under an hour-first time in a long time

Community activism

Dumplings

That $60 shirt I got for $15

January 31 and still steeped in Xmas atmosphere

Diary of an Anachronist~2012

Also known as: This is not a Top Ten List
(I lost the bet so here we are.)

JANUARY

~New Years Day-a classic Caesar, filet mignon w/ blue cheese crust, fennel salad, sticky toffee pudding and a bottle of Amerone
~gardening in January-very mild; periwinkle and creeping phlox in bloom
~Sandra Sharma and Nicki Payne comedy
~Sam Sanberg interview
~chocolate chip cookies from the Widget Maker's daughter
~French paintings at the AGH
~Shafia guilty verdict
~Julian Barnes' Amsterdam
~walnut cake from Chef & Wife
~Feast Bazaar, Syria-before the uprising
~snow storm went Northeast

FEBRUARY

~Thai night-there's Pad Thai and then there's Pad Thai
~Julian Barnes' The Lemon Table short stories-in particular, Love Unspoken, Vigilance and Appetite
~an orchid, before it's had a chance to die in my care
~Bellinis & Tequonics(tequila/tonic water/maraschino)
~snow storm went Northeast
~Barney's Version-the movie
~Barchester Chronicles w/ Nigel Hawthorne


MARCH

~bucatina pasta w/ tomatoes, butter, olive oil, pecorino, black pepper, parsley
~Jeanette Winterson's  Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
~Jones New York bargains-why shop retail?
~ordering a small, medium, large at Starbucks
~Strombo interview with Pogues front man, Shane McGowan-I thought he'd died years ago!
~Julian Barnes' Flaubert's Parrot -stay with this because it may prove challenging, at first
(side note: Flaubert never got over his first love and wrote, "Each of us possesses in his heart a Royal chamber and I have bricked mine up")
~15C then 25C weather, then daffodils-it's the change in mindset-winter doldrums to Spring

APRIL

~first in a series of great workouts
~flourless chocolate cake sandwiched with layers of chocolate mousse, dressed with 35% cream; hence the exercise
~welsh rarebit(rabbit to some)
~Garbo's Laugh by Elizabeth Hay-because some movies are a pleasure to watch over and over again
~Henry the Cat
~tulips!

MAY

~Jann Arden & Rick Mercer at the CN Tower
~Werner Herzog's Stroszek (great movie)
~finally re-landscaping the front garden; landscaping a bit too strong a word, perhaps?
~Alone In the Classroom by Elizabeth Hay ("The bucket inside me overturned its contents with a swoosh.")
~ice wine and cake in the bathtub after my "going postal" moment; cake & wine courtesy of the neighbours who agreed with me, but are far too polite and have more self control than I do
~Sean Cullen & Scott Thompson-The Debaters
~Doors Open Hamilton-the pale, blonde Christ at the Catholic church and the dark skinned, raven haired Christ of the Orthodox church down the street
~Rob Ford Watch begins
~salad Nicoise with a fresh tuna steak
~Adam Gopnick's emails to Elizabeth Parnell
~salmon with creme fraiche, orzo w/ goats cheese and spinach (Gopnick included champagne with his salmon)
~vinyl Cafe's Mr. Harmen; Mr. H. appreciates good food

JUNE

~Kiss/Queen concert with Jeans & Classics
~the sticky rice dish
~perfectly cooked asparagus-more about this later
~The Frenchie-gin/pernod/vermouth/grenadine float
~Shaw Fest's Come Back, Little Sheba
~Cumbrae butchers
~Early summer dinner of borscht w/sherry, tarragon crusted scallops, brandied chicken & morels and  Jamie Oliver's chocolate pots
~big, leisurely dinners in general;  see also movie dinners-Remains of the Day, Big Night or Gosford Park
~42C weather

JULY

~Tom Allen-please come back to the morning show
~gazpacho, when its done right
~finding refuge in Wine Country from the Canada day hordes
~Konzleman rose & roast duck
~Soulpepper theatre-everything
~onion & mint chutney on goats cheese, chilled melon & mint soup, Biff's fish
~Scorned As Lumber- Carr at the AGH
~Douglas Coupland interviews
~finally, Williams' Harbourfront location expanded

AUGUST

~roast beef dinners & leftover roast beef; the Pater's Cobb salad
~Farm Country and the mindset that comes with it
~the Jamaican Victory Lap
~Lemon Tiramisu without the watered down Lemoncello
~fresh tomatoes roasted in the office toaster oven; you can eat well on the lunch hour; move over PB & J
~"Memories are not solace."  Joan Didion
~Life on a Kibbutz by humorist extraordinaire, David Rackoff
~Andrew Pocock(British High Commissioner)-w/Michael Enright on The Sunday Edition-The Cornish Pasty lesson
~people who still bring doughnuts in when visiting-dying art of guilt free eating; because sometimes the granola and fruit just aren't enough

SEPTEMBER

~38C
~"lost in translation" conversations with my neighbours
~Fall in Perth County; road trip with the Pater
~Jann Arden, again-on the Calgary Stampede and I'm paraphrasing here-"We should take back Putin's hat (free Pussy Riot!)"
~Stratford Fest-Best Brothers
~Shaw Fest-everything
~Garlic Fest
~noon hour walking
~afternoon teas and espresso in appropriately sized cups(finally)

OCTOBER

~Michael Coulton's Romney Watch-on the Ohio debacle, "...and with no new ammunition, Romney stuck with same, stale stuff" and "...the gift that keeps on giving."
~Opera Hamilton
~gardening, still, under clear blue skies
~experimental cooking
~single malt as cold remedy
~fine moments in the blogosphere; people on the same wavelength in the blogosphere because there is no greater challenge than trying to explain to someone why something's funny

NOVEMBER

~radio silence when Pat Barker was asked if the Great War was worth it
~big story on the Australian town that recently installed a toilet in the local graveyard-in the shape of a coffin; bypassing red tape at its finest
~curried scallops; a simple salad sandwich; homemade samosas
~Emma Donaghue's Astray
~the Ballet
~Robbie Coltrane's pickup lines (as told by Stephen Fry)
~Men with Movember moustaches~proof that looking like a stereotypical child molester is good for no one

DECEMBER

~Xmas Dinner, naturally
~listening to the owls in the woods
~watching members of the Instant Gratification Club in action
~a well made sushi roll; shrimp cocktail done right; venison
~earning my merit badge for "enduring yet another year listening to the 'twelve dogs chorus' in the neighbourhood";  why do people need so many dogs?  and why don't they ever walk them?
~Rob Ford watch continues
[editor's note:  let's not forget about Hamilton city council]
~in the Ripley's Believe It Or Not category-a fresh Harvey's hamburger and hot, crispy fries
~if you need more proof that they're just like us:  an Xmas repeat of Lethal Weapon which is so much harder to appreciate in the aftermath of Gibson's breakdown

Culture & Recreation-The Xmas Edition

Thinking of taking last Friday's frenzy right through to the New Year.   Never venture to the mall after Nov 30th.  I've been traumatized ever since Canadian Black Friday when I went out for Movember chocolate moustaches. Chaos.  And I wasn't anywhere near the mall.  This time I was sans gloves and you can just imagine what I must have come into contact with.  Was it smart to do this on the eve before a Christmas party?  No. Who in their right mind uses a communal pen at the Post Office and then eats lunch? Tells you something about the state of my mind.

More shopping for Xmas treats.  And before anyone takes exception to my using an X instead of Christ, the X is a perfectly acceptable substitute.  Dust of your Britannica and look it up.  Xmas cakes were on tap this weekend and after perusing the latest Hamilton giving the milk chocolate and sea salt covered bacon a whirl.  Salted bacon? Yes, because clearly bacon needs more salting.  The cakes are a 48 hr project and care and attention must be paid.  Prepped the kitchen, sedated myself with a little Horlicks and somehow lost track of three hours which I still can't account for. Did the martini(s) have anything to do with it?

1. Fry bacon
2. For every pan of bacon, save one slice for yourself for snacking purposes
3. Prepare bacon and eggs while you wait for subsequent batches to cook
4. Drain & cool what's left
5. Melt milk chocolate
6. Drizzle over cooled bacon
7. Sprinkle with sea salt
8. Chill
9. Resist temptation to eat

Saturday. Took a very civilized breakfast; a little pate and baguette to start the day.  Dave had presented Morley with a decorated pear tree; one of my favourite stories.   Took about three hours to mobilize as the cold symptoms had materialized overnight. No choice but to snooze. Eventually left for the downtown core; four hours before dinner. 
 
If you remember my last trip downtown, I was laid low afterwards with some kind of plague. Wanted to do a little reconnaissance.  With one-way systems, no on-street parking and lane closures, a little tour of the neighbourhood is advised if you want to get to dinner on time.  We were headed to Seven Windows at Aberdeen & Dundurn.  I can confirm that there is no sign on the front door; no neon "OPEN" to guide you in off the street nor is there any parking signage  Found a small lot but wanted a back up plan in case it was full come dinner hour.  Seven Windows is a restaurant and lounge located in a converted bank; there is a vault available for private dinners.

Whirlwind tour of the library; took the stairs-only exercise this week.  No fourth or fifth floor anymore.  Well, no books on those floors anymore.  On tap this week are Douglas Coupland's Highly Inappropriate Tales for Young Children, Emma Donoghue's Room and Sarah Selecky's This Cake Is For the Party-short stories.  From last month, I'm recommending Naked by David Sedaris-short stories; funny stuff.  Also, two plays; Marion Bridge by Daniel MacIvor-should take you a couple of bathroom breaks to read (now on dvd if you can't be bothered reading) and Belle Moral by Anne Marie McDonald (at Shaw a few years back).  How to describe this one?  Think it's best if you just read it.       

Usual cast of characters on the drive down.  Most striking was the woman in zebra striped pants and fur coat.  Will I go bold with the wardrobe as I enter the late middle age?  Read a piece the other day which discussed the idea that, never mind age 65, you become invisible at 25.  So most people will think you're just batty and ignore you when you pop to the store in your funky boots and leopard prints. Or, they just won't see you at all.

Had time for a quick visit to the Art Gallery~AGH-Napoleon.  From the first room, painted a regal red, Napoleon comes off as something of a rock star.  Long, flowing tresses and baby face features.  His signet ring, snuff box, watch and hat are on display.  Napoleon controlled every aspect of his reign and I started to think of our beloved Mr. Harper.  (I bet Napoleon's hair didn't move either.)  There's lots on display-paintings, dinner ware, beds, and a very fine gold toothbrush.  Will return when I have a little more leisure.  Runs 'til May.

Finally reached an age when no one calls to ask what you're wearing. Sandwiched myself into something that wasn't a Little Black Dress. Ah, the miracle of Lycra.  Telemarketer at 17:00  At this time of day?

Despite the earlier reconnaissance, I missed the restaurant and drove 'round the block to double back.  As I said, no signage.  Good vodka martini. Started with the chicken liver pate which was precisely the right temperature; served with crispbreads and onion relish.  Followed this with soup-Indian with apple.  Very tasty.  At last, a restaurant that doesn't serve shrimp cocktail with red seafood sauce! Excellent presentation with everything.

Venison for mains-tender slices served on top of sweet potato, carrot, beet, sprout and chutney.  Everyone enjoyed their mains which varied from halibut to chicken to lamb to filet.   Nearly poached my neighbour's potato-apparently, they don't "do" potato. Theirs came cooked in chicken fat which sounded rather tasty to me.  Seemed a shame to waste them.

Pastry choices were Pavlova, Ice Wine creme brulee, flourless chocolate torte (which met with rave reviews) amongst others.

Now the only fly in the ointment is the service.  Overall, service was fine, but it lacked the full attentiveness you would expect with this kind of restaurant.  Is the water glass empty?  Is the wine glass empty?  A dessert menu that includes digestifs would be nice so you can take your time ruminating over the course and not left guessing at what's behind the bar.  And worse, in one case, having to accompany the server to the bar to have a look at the whiskey choices.  Overall, it deserves a second go 'round to see if this is the norm or were they having an off night?

I had the privilege of chauffeuring the younger crowd back into town.  And where did they pick from all the choices?  Hess Village.  Now apart from lunch a couple of years back, the Village isn't somewhere you'd venture past the age of twenty-five.  It's full of micro skirt /platform shoe clad girls who look identical to one another and men in baggy pants, the occasional woolly hat and loose fitting shirt or hoodie.  They spill out onto the road at 2:15, blood coursing with liquor.  A fight or two ensues, police are called and it starts all over again next weekend.  Time was the village was a good spot for the thirty-five plus crowd.  It was home to the annual Jazz Fest.  Great music, good pubs, good food.  Slowly, the nineteen year olds took over.  Pubs became clubs and it went to pot(no doubt literally in some cases). 

For people watching however, you can't go wrong.  There is a Hortons on the corner and it's a good spot for watching the aftermath if you don't want to venture onto the cobblestones. The fascinating world of the under 25's.  Took our place at the side of the stage of The Lazy Flamingo.  We stood out like the proverbial thumb-dressed in our suits, dress and overcoats. The Great Divide were in mid set.  Divide was a fairly accurate name as two of them looked as if they'd just walked out of an early incarnation of Joy Division and the other two out of a commune, circa 1970.  They split the set between originals and Hendrix, Lynrd Skynrd and so on.  The band did a great job and if anyone knows of a good hearing specialist, drop me a line.

One of our party ventured to the WC but no one else went in after he reported back on the conditions.  As 2 AM approached, panic set in with the natives;  like closing time at Club 54.  There was a woman of about fifty chatting up the guys.  One was mortified that someone of her "advanced" years should choose someone like him.  They have yet to stare to death in the face and think they're going to live forever.  She eventually found herself a "dance partner" who was about twenty years her junior and, once again, we had to get the oxygen out for the young lads.

Sunday. Having gotten home at 3AM, was in no mood to tackle Stage One of "The Cake" and was a little delicate for most of the day.  Listened to Tapestry and a interview with the winner of Most Eloquent Person of the Year.  Oh to be so calm and collected.  Must find her name. Somehow found enough drive to prepare dinner for The Pater.  In my stupor, I neglected to add a critical ingredient and it took about 24hrs to figure out what it was.

Out to another game of minor league hockey with the five year olds.  Had been a few weeks since the last game and there was marked improvement in the skating.  Was that strategy at play? Thought there might have been a gas leak at one point; turns out to have been my seat mate's Bits & Bites snack pack. 

Monday. Challenging day.  In my defence, the whole nation is down with some kind of flu or cold.  Don't think my lack of health had anything to do with Saturday night.  Oh, how the hours dragged.  Cake making, Phase 1,  and then bed.

 

Tuesday. A blur. Cake making, Phase 2. I dosed myself with the juice of three lemons, honey and many cups of herbal tea. 

And finally, Wednesday mid morning tea break. Very pleased with the results. A moist Xmas cake; no doorstops here. Put the recipe in your arsenal. See below.

What’s in the VCR this week?  Xmas chestnuts, of course. Watching them on the portable, I might add.  Oh, the humanity!  Bill Paterson in Comfort and Joy (1984).  A Glaswegian disc jockey finds himself as the go between  of two rival gangs of ice cream merchants.   A Child’s Christmas in Wales with Denholm Eliot (1987 adaptation from Dylan Thomas), A Muppet Christmas with Michael Caine and A Christmas Story-don’t think this one needs any explaining.

Don’t forget to try Soulpepper’s A Christmas Carol.  It’s running until December 29^th.

Onwards and upwards with the holidays; the idea is to have as little to do on “the day” as possible while at the same time maintaining sanity before hand.

(Editor’s Note:  That's what President’s Choice is for. Just give me a great big basket of Black Label goodies.)

And so Dear Reader, a very happy and healthy holiday to you.  Enjoy yourself. 

 

Edible Xmas Cake (good brunch partner)

Apricots, prunes, currants, cherries, figs; chopped to make 2 CUPS

1 CUP sherry, port or other
 

2/3 C unsalted butter

1 C Demerera sugar

2 eggs + 1 yolk
1 TSP vanilla

1C flour
1 TSP baking powder

1 TSP salt

½ TSP cinnamon
½ TSP nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves

1 TSP lemon zest

 

Day One 

Heat sherry; add chopped fruit and simmer 10 mins.  Let stand for 24hrs. 

 

Day Two 

In mixer combine: butter, sugar; add eggs one at a time; add vanilla;  combine dry ingredients and add to egg mixture; add zest & bake 375C for 45 minutes in well buttered and floured loaf pan.

 

Toasting Chestnuts-Manner(Men)

“I wonder what your disguise is?  The jeans or the suit?"

"Both.”

Took a second espresso after dinner and, well, you know how these things go.  Bug eyed into the wee hours. What’s on the shelf? 

Heiner Lauterbach(Daniel/Julius), Uwe Ochsenknecht(Stefan) and Ulrike Kriener (Paula) in the 1986 Manner by Doris Dorrie.  A movie I never tire of watching.  Funny; full of great conversation and situations.

The Armbrusts are a comfortable, middle class family.  Anniversary morning and the discovery of an infidelity;  Julius’ wife, Paula, is having an affair.   In an attempt to come to terms with this, Julius moves out and begins an autopsy of the marriage.  More like spying on his wife and her new boyfriend.   Great scene where Julius, after skulking around the property, rides through town after the boyfriend on his son’s bike. 

A chance encounter and Julius (now under the guise of Daniel) takes up residence with the boyfriend (Stefan)to try and understand what his wife sees in this guy.  Stefan covets Daniel’s middle class lifestyle.  Despite the odds, a friendship forms between the two and Daniel, seeing the potential in Stefan, goes out of his way to help him with his career(torturing himself in the process).

Scenes to look for:

~Paula visiting for breakfast-great fun
~Stefan going for a joy ride in Daniel’s car
~watching the football game with bandaged hands
~the haircut (facing middle age)
~discussing the merits of marriage and materialism
~jogging
~trying on the new suit
~celebrating the new job
~the elevator

Some favourite lines:

Stefan: Everything about her is wrong.
Daniel: Which makes her the right women for you? (talking about Paula)

Stefan: And because I wasn’t here, you go bullshit?” (to Daniel, after Daniel destroys the apartment)

Stefan: It’s pretentious, decadent, disgusting. It’s absolutely fantastic. (on the new car.)

Roommate #2: Do you have children?
Daniel: Can you tell by my ass?

 A light hearted comedy that could only be written with men as the leads.  
 Yes, the German sense of humour is alive and well.

Toasting Chestnuts- Wonder Boys

"You driving this car?
This 1966 maroon Ford Galaxy.
You driving this car?"

Curtis Hansen directs Wonder Boys.  I can't say enough about it-in steady rotation at the house.
Michael Douglas, Robert Downey Jr, Tobey Maguire and Frances McDormand.

"Word Fest" comes to town bringing together a professor, two of his students, an editor and various "characters"-Q, 'Vernon' and Antonia. 

One of the better soundtracks-Dylan, Lennon, Young.

Not greatly received when it first came out.  Why are people influenced by such things as a poster?  Add it to your list.


CHARACTERS

Grady Tripp-writer; tenured professor whose life is complicated by his editor, ex wife, lovestruck tenant and his lover, the Chancellor

James Leer-student and promising writer; hidden depths

Terry Crabtree-the editor

Sarah & Walter Gaskell-the Chancellor and her husband(Grady's boss)


SCENES OF NOTE / MISC.

Introduction to Vernon
Introduction to the jacket
Terry & Antonia descending the stairs
James at Emily's childhood home
First police visit
Porch scenes-AM/PM
Car scenes
Facial expressions-various.
Actual breath on a cold day-we don't often get that.  Failure of producers making Winter scenes in summer time- no breath.


FAVOURITE LINES

I don't drink.  Normally.
(Grady)

Gather the two of you staged a raid on the Crabtree pharmacopoeia?
(Terry to Grady and Leer)

Would you mind explaining what you just did?
Came to my senses.
(Grady &  Crabtree)

So there it was.  A Manhattan editor was prowling the streets, best selling author at his side, dead dog in the trunk.
(Grady)

Don't think he needs sexual confusion to mix up the stew.
On the contrary, I think it might be just the ticket.
(Grady & Crabtree)

Do you owe him a book, too?
(Terry to Grady)

James, you're hung over. What do you think is the matter with you?
(Grady)

Thought you were a guy who didn't like to lose control of his emotions?
Maybe I just needed the moment to present itself.
(Grady to James)

She is a transvestite?
If she's not now, Terry'll make sure she is by the end of the evening.
(Sarah to Grady)

And so on.
Great film.

Toasting Chestnuts~ High Hopes

"Mr. Sausage is on the stairs."

Mike Leigh-champion of kitchen sink movies~Naked, Secrets & Lies, Happy Go Lucky, to name but a few.  What is a kitchen sink?   Real people in real situations. No Hollywood fluff.  No pandering to the audience. 

High Hopes ~ a go to movie I can easily watch half a dozen times a year.
Comedy and despair unite. 

CHARACTERS

Shirley and Cyril-happy go lucky pair of aging tree huggers.

Valerie and Martin-she, a fury in gold-the yuppie wannabee; he, the entrepreneur of questionable repute.

Laetitia and Rupert-upper class couple with a gentrified pied a terre; neighbour to Mrs Bender.

Mom-the soon to be 70 year old Mrs. Bender-mother to Cyril and Valerie; living alone, feeling her age.

By now, I'm sure we're all familiar with Leigh's method.
A general plot outline is presented to the actors who then, through rehearsal, improvise a script.  Their characters develop along with the story.  Costumes are selected accordingly.
The actors become fully immersed in their roles.

FAVOURITE LINES

Ah, the lavatory.  I'll show you were it is in a moment.
(Laetitita to Mrs. Bender)

And your garden leaves a great deal to be desired. You could have enormous fun out there.
My husband used to do all that.
And where is he now?
He's dead.
Jolly good.
(Rupert to Mrs. Bender)

You don't half look nice.
So do you.
Thanks.
(Cyril and Shirley)

I would like to propose a toast to Mom's birthday, because, it could be her last.
(Valerie, on a good day)

You start
You start
No, you start
You start
You bloody start
Oh c'mon...
...Start what anyway?
(Valerie and Martin)

All three worlds collide as Mrs. Bender finds herself in distress and we see the class system in all its glory.  A treat to watch. 
Going strong after nearly thirty years.  Do yourselves a favour.

The Year Without Cable-Part I-Toasting Chestnuts

(From the Diary of an Anachronist.)

David MacFarlane, contributing to the Globe & Mail in 2002 , wrote about the joy of toasting chestnuts.  Not the kind you eat, but, the kind you might read, watch or, listen to.  In MacFarlane's case, a symphony.  MacFarlane was referring to the Jupiter Symphony.  He had attended numerous performances but what's one more?  Each time is a new experience.

As I approached the one year anniversary of No Cable TV (NCT), I toasted my own chestnuts.  NCT really began in 2005 and I kept myself amused with six channels on the Panasonic portable- "old faithful".  I moved the TV from room to room to improve reception. Over the years, reception waned and one by one the channels turned to snow.

I was left with the local news and TVO.  All anyone really needs.

Then came the fateful day-August 15, 2011.  The digital march arrived (two weeks early I might add).  The remaining two channels gave up the ghost and I was left with a rather large paperweight.

NCT may seem like a daunting prospect for those of you who come home at the end of the workday and sit down in front of the TV for the next five hours.  What to do with your time?  How do you entertain yourself?

Consider for a moment the quality of programming out there.  You have maybe thirty percent quality-the rest is schlock.  Seventy percent mindless programming.  My evening was controlled first by the 6 o'clock news, second by the 7 pm UK fare on TVO, third-the occasional  9pm UK fare (yes, I'm an Anglophile) and, if I wasn't careful, come full circle with the 11 o'clock news.  That's all gone.  So the supper hour routine changes; one is no longer clock watching; the reading has gone through the roof and you get to bed earlier.

Know a couple of PVRers but when do you watch it all? They still have to find the time-life still revolves around watching the archive.

So a year has gone by and I have worked my way through the old video collection of some 300+ movies, a handful of dvd's and put my tax dollars to work by patronizing the library system-their movie collection has improved greatly-lots of foreign films to choose from.

So what has sustained me during this period of NCT? 
Movies from Mike Leigh, Alexander Payne, Peter Greenaway, Curtis Hanson, the Canadians, the French.

More on these chestnuts next time.

Merchant/Ivory

Back to Mr. Ivory.
This week took another look at "Remains of the Day" from Merchant/Ivory.
Beautifully done-cast, script, music, sets.
If you're new to Merchant/Ivory try starting with Remains of the Day.
If you are inclined to books-don't forget the movie's source by Kazuo Ishiguro.

See also Toronto International Film Fest-Lightbox building's exhibit curated in part by James Ivory.
Running 'til August 19.

http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiffbelllightbox/2012/2440001347